Firae Circus
by raven watson
Summary: A world where the land is split between the demons and the humans, a boy who is a reject of both and a girl with dark humor and a dark past. Not to mention a psycho circus leader who likes to eat demon babies. the sicko.
1. Beginning

Hey all, i was feeling evil, so i started a new story. If i don't get any reviews i'll prolly crap this one too eventually. So please read and review. I'll still be doing my other one, don't worry, it just won't be updated as much as i woulda if it was reviewed more. This will be full of torment, me thinks. Though i havent written an outline for it so i'm unsure if it will be better or not. It's a InuKag. And if any of the others come in later then they would be the usual sanmir sessrin yadda yadda. No i don't own inuyasha. Although i do own inuyasha the plushie. so bua hahahahah! R&R please! I don't even care if you review that it bites, just tell me whats up how i can fix it and such. thanks for reading! (Oh, and Firae is pronounced fer-ay)

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Firae Circus: beginning

There were rumors ravaging the lands. A demon child had been born inside the human borders. He wanted him. Wanted to force the wretch behind his iron bars and collect gold while the child was tormented by onlookers. He had searched for so long for the child. So long. He chuckled evilly. Had it really been almost 17 years? The man sneered then looked up at the stars above him. They seemed to smile at him, the same smile he usually saw in the mirror. 'It is going to be a good night tonight.' He thought. He looked behind him to make sure that his human workers were still keeping up with him and that nothing was wrong with his valuable captives.

He had taken his circus filled with odd demons and tortured creatures on his quest for this demon child; one that he had found was truly only a half demon. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered as long as the child was his. It would belong to him. This unusual child that was unable to disappear among the masses because of its silver hair and glowing amber eyes. It was also rumored that this child cursed with both human and demon blood had the ears of his demon animal. The man laughed joyously. To think what kind of money he would gather simply because this child had dog ears. The man laughed harder thinking about the wealth he could claim. It shook his body and made him gasp for air.

The demons that were being carted behind the man, sealed behind the iron bars by powerful magic looked at one another. The leader of the circus was loosing it. The last time he had cracked he had murdered one of the demon children that had been born in captivity. They shifted nervously and began burying their children under the hay that was given to line their cages. They could sense the dark cloud that covered the man getting stronger. Soon the unusual purple of his eyes would bleed red and the man would crave blood. Unfortunately for his weak captives, the blood that this man-demon craved was that of demon children.

The leader's laughter waned into random fits of giggling as he raised his hand calling for his caravan to halt. When he turned back to the demons they saw their children's blood in his eyes. The evil man jumped down from his carriage and began walking back to the cage that held the snow demons. They had a small child, he recalled. A girl with hair like moon light and skin so pale it drove him mad. He wanted to stain those pale, pale cheeks. He wanted to watch the pale snow princess turn red with her own blood as he lapped it up like a cat.

He smiled as the image of her death filled him with joy. He reached into his pocket to take out the demons key when he heard a sound come from behind him. It was night and his vision was not as good as it should be, but his other sense knew something was out there. Something that wasn't human and wasn't weak. The man sniffed the air trying to get a better grasp of the situation. The creature was unaware of him and his party. He took a glance back at the snow demon couple and sighed. He would have to wait for another time to make the snow princess bleed.

The man turned back to where he thought the creature was. As he walked forward he opened a pouch that was kept with him at all times. He took out a small pebble that was rough and crooked. Despite the dark blackness of the stone, it seemed to glow as light bounced off its surface. The man rubbed it between his fingers muttering ancient words born before the age of man.

The leader of the circus caravan pushed aside a branch and stepped into a small clearing. A quickly doused fire lay in the center. By the smell in the clearing and the smoke coming from it, it had been lit only a few moments before. The man could feel the creature was close but he just couldn't see it. He looked all around the clearing but still found no one. Then it hit him.

He looked up.

Glowing eyes stared down at him angrily. Silver hair framed the face that had clenched teeth with fangs showing. The man's eyes lit up with delight. Poking out of the silver locks were snow white dog ears. After 17 years his search was over. He had found him. That damn child who had slipped past him time and time again. A twisted giggle escaped his lips and the demon boy tilted his head in confusion as he continued to growl.

"Come down here!" the man yelled to the hanyou.

"Go to hell, human." The demon replied. The man didn't like that. No, he didn't like that at all. Didn't the boy realize that he already owned him? That he was but a pathetic excuse of a demon and that he would be imprisoned in his circus for all of his life? He was his slave; he had no right to talk to him like that.

"You'll regret that remark, Halfling." The leader said as he fingered the stone again. The demon child growled louder and, as the leader had hoped, lunged at the human before him. The man flicked the small pebble at the oncoming demon. He grinned feeling his eyes turn red as it hit the boy in the throat. The boy fell back as the pebble buried itself inside him. He whimpered and clawed at his throat trying to get it back out.

The evil man laughed maniacally as the memories of the hanyou invaded his mind. So much pain and doubt. So much _suffering_. It made this boy weak and strong all at the same time. He looked into the amber eyes of his new captive and smiled at the animosity he saw there. He would be fun to break.

"Sleep, Halfling." At his words the half-demon's eyes began to cloud over. He fought it; the man could see him fight it. He almost beat it too, but almost wouldn't save him. The leader of the Firae Circus smiled maliciously. He waved two of his loyal minions over to carry the halfling to the cage that had been reserved just for him for over 17 years. The leader then looked up to the sky as they carried him away. The stars were winking at him. 'Yes,' he thought, 'tonight was a _very_ good night.'

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mua hahahhahahaaaa... i like evil guys!

Please Review!


	2. Captive

Thanks for reading this. Please review. More nasty-ness coming in future chapters. Oh the bloody goodness of crazy people!

Thanks sesshomarunaraku! I'm glad you like!

(sashinuki hakama are the kind of pants Sesshomaru wears in the series.)

(Hatsuyuki literally means 'first snow of the season' in Japanese, or so says this 'about japanese' web site that i looked at)

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2: Captive

He was cold. And it was dark. 'What happened?' he wondered. He remembered camping out in the woods (again) because he had been driven out of yet another town, the latest in a very long line. He had let the fire dwindle and had tried to sleep, ignoring the nightmares that awaited him. Then something had happened…what was it? He had felt something strange. It felt like…the terror of demons. That was it. He had jumped into the arms of a tree to try to see where this fear was coming from. Then he had smelled humans and decided it was best that he hide. He had quickly jumped back to his makeshift camp to put out the lingering fire then he had hid up in a tree. He frowned. Everything else was a blur.

He knew that a human had found him, but there was something odd about that human. He could only recall dark waves framing a long face with burning red eyes. That human had done something to him, thrown something at him. But his world was too foggy at that point.

He began taking note of his situation. His body felt heavy and couldn't respond well. There was a dull ache in his neck and sharper pains in his arms and legs. He lifted his arms to see what the pain was. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that on his wrists he wore silver metal bands. They had half-inch long spikes encircling them and according to the pain when he clenched his fists there were some on the inside as well. He looked down at his feet and saw that his ankles were bound the same way. It would be ok to walk or stand but it would probably hurt like a bitch to run or jump.

He looked around him. There were several wagons surrounding him, most of which held large cages. Each wagon was pulled by 4 large horses who were currently stamping their feet and snorting, impatient to be free from their bridles. The human workers were unloading a few of the covered wagons where he assumed they stored their goods. They were making an encampment for the night. He snarled at them.

His cage was large at 10 ft by 5 ft. It was lined with about a foot of hay that was alright one minute and the next it irritated like nothing else. There were iron bars encasing the entire cage spaced 5 inches apart. The bars themselves were only 2 inches in diameter. There was a single door with no handle but there was a keyhole that kept the door locked. The roof was iron as was the base.

He turned his attention back to his wrists. He took a claw and began trying to wrench it from him. Crimson began spilling down his arms as he struggled with the band and his pain. He heard a gasp come from behind him and he turned around. Between the bars that he had been leaning against, he could see another cage beside him. There was a young girl with silver hair, much like his own, and the pale skin of a snow demon. Her lips were but a pale blush upon her long, narrow face. She was dressed in a white tunic with matching sashinuki hakama that ballooned out then tied at her feet where he could see furry white boots. She had matching furry arm pieces that reached from a little above her elbow and tied to her middle finger. She was kneeling forward with her hands before her, being careful not to touch the bars while she felt such distress. Her pale sapphire eyes held fear as she saw him trying to tear off his shackles.

"Stop that!" she hissed.

"Why? I need to get them off my ankles to escape but it would hurt more to discover how they worked if I started at my feet." The girl shook her head.

"The shackles are just to control your outbursts. You can't escape. None of us can." Her eyes turned silver as unshed tears filled them. The boy scoffed at her.

"You might be too weak to escape but I sure as hell ain't going to sit around and be some sort of demon pet for this _human._" He spat. The girl just looked at him sadly.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly. He narrowed his eyes.

"Why?" she gave him a weak smile.

"My name is Hatsuyuki, but you can call me Yuki." The boy crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm Inuyasha." The smile she gave him actually reached her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Inuyasha. I'd say welcome to the Firae Circus, but this is the closest to hell that any of us have ever gotten. So instead, I'm sorry that you've been snatched by the Firae Circus." He looked at her for a long time then decided this was the only way he'd get any answers.

"What did that human do to me?" he asked none too politely. Yuki shifted so she was sitting crossed legged and leaned forward with her elbows on her legs and her chin in her hands.

"He has a pouch with strange stones in them. He gets them embedded into us so we obey his commands."

"So, what? I'm under his power now?" she shook her head.

"No, the only commands that work are those that reduce rebellion and keep us in line." Inuyasha tilted his head slightly in confusion and Yuki sighed, "Ok, he can order you to go to sleep or shut up or freeze but he can't say something like jump up and down and cluck like a chicken." Inuyasha snickered.

"I sure as hell hope not, I'd have to kill myself from embarrassment." Yuki looked at him with sorrow.

"You might still kill yourself, Inuyasha. I don't think you realize what's happened to you." He furrowed his brows.

"What do you mean?" She leaned forward conspiratorially.

"He's not human anymore," she whispered, "Not as you know them." She took a deep breath, "He eats demon children! He eats _us_!" her eyes widened in horror, "He drinks our blood and the blood has turned him into something _else._" Inuyasha looked at her disbelieving, "You saw his eyes, did you not?" he remembered the crimson blaze staring at him and nodded, "Those are the eyes of a berserker demon. Our blood has changed him. He has become a hanyou. Both human and demon blood flows in that monsters veins." Inuyasha stood unsteadily on his bleeding feet.

"I don't care what he is. I am not going to be his lap dog." Yuki's eyes opened wide as Inuyasha grabbed his iron bars and tried to force them apart. Dark light sparked from the bars and began slithering around his arms. The lights formed heads that represented snakes. Inuyasha watched in shock as the snakes turned and hissed at him then bit his arms. Inuyasha cried out but refused to give up. The snake heads writhed and broke apart multiple times. Several more snake heads latched onto his arms, sinking their razor sharp fangs into him. The fangs held a different kind of venom. Instead of poison they began sending pulses of electricity into Inuyasha's blood shocking him time and time again.

Inuyasha's vision began to dim and he felt his body fall. He caught himself on one knee and released the bars. He doubled over and vomited in the corner of his cage. With his stomach clear he leaned back and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"That was a bit stronger than I anticipated." He said in a raspy voice. Yuki shook her head and looked at him with those sad haunted eyes.

"Don't do that again. He likes you for now, so the snakes won't kill you. But that could change." Inuyasha lay down in the hay trying to make the world stop spinning.

"I refuse to remain here, Yuki. There've been too many times that I've been treated like an animal. I won't stand for it again." Yuki turned her back and leaned against the bars.

"I know, Inuyasha. We all do what we can to survive." He looked over to her white clothed back.

"Why have you been so kind to me?" he asked suddenly.

"You may not realize it, Inuyasha, but you saved my life tonight. Leader had gone mad and was going to eat one of us." She smiled sadly at the roof of her cage, "When you showed up he was going to kill me." Inuyasha looked over at her in surprise. "You saved me, even if it is for a short while. Because of that I owe you," She looked at him over her shoulder, "I promise you that I'll help you escape if I can," Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to kindness coming from anyone, least of all a beautiful snow demon. Inuyasha watched her pale eyes look beyond his cage to the human's encampment.

"We need to sleep now. Rest, gather your strength. Tomorrow will be a…long day." Yuki moved away from the bars and stretched herself against the other snow demons in her cage. Inuyasha watched her as she closed her eyes and her breathing slowed.

"Thank you, Yuki," he whispered.

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Is this chapter too short? I can never tell… review!


	3. Twisted Sisters

Alright, here's some more. Please Review. Thanks to barf bag! Bua hahaha! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Twisted Sisters

Light was pouring into the darkness. It was a single ray of torment that lay right in the eye of the unsuspecting sleeping girl. She was pulled from her dreams by the red that she saw from behind her lit eyelids. When she opened them she cursed loudly and covered her eyes with her hands while flinging the covers over her at the same time. Her name was Kagome, and she hated the light infiltrating her darkness.

It was morning already, she thought. And today was the day that her twisted sisters were dragging her out to that deranged circus that was passing through town. She wasn't really into the whole 'making the demons suffer' thing. But it was a favorite past time of most people, especially her sisters.

She laughed at that last thought. They weren't really related to her by blood. Hell, they were barely even friends, let alone sisters. She got out of bed and began getting ready for the day as she thought of her 'sisters'. The elder girl was named Akemi. She was tall and beautiful. Her long athletic build made her lithe as well as eye candy for the men that they passed, especially with the revealing clothing she liked to wear despite the mothers requests for something more decent. She had long auburn hair that was naturally perfectly straight. She liked to let it hang freely with a bit hiding the side of her face giving her (what Akemi liked to call) a mysterious aura. Her face was long and narrow and her nose was straight. Her usually blood red lips were full and pouty. Her skin had a natural tan to it that matched her brown eyes, which could give you such a look that you could feel your terror like bile in your throat.

The second girl was named Nami. She was Akemi's best friend. She too was lovely, though Akemi was more of a blast of beauty while Nami had more of a soft warming beauty. Nami had shoulder length curly red hair that she tied behind her in a loose, flowing pony-tail. She was pale with several attractive freckles dancing across her cheeks. She had gray-green eyes that loved to smile, but loved even more to spit vile in your direction. She was a copy of Akemi in all her actions except that she dressed a bit more conservatively and she actually had a heart, even if it was usually black.

Kagome didn't know why Akemi or Nami had decided to befriend her one day, but she did know it was better to be friends with the devil than his enemy, and in a place like Haven House, any friend or ally was better than being alone. Haven House was the local orphanage. Most of the children that were sent there had parents who were murdered by demons or evil humans. Needless to say, hopeful parents hardly ever dropped by to choose a child, and even if they did drop by, they hardly ever left with one.

The ones who took care of the children and ran Haven House were lovingly named 'mothers' despite their gender. When the new mothers arrived they were usually full of hope and compassion. The tenants of Haven House usually cured them of that flaw pretty damn quick. The children who lived there were too scarred, their pasts too dark to allow such idiocies in their lives.

Kagome had arrived at Haven House 7 years ago when her parents who had been ambassadors to the Demon Realm had been brutally murdered by some demons that had caught them unsuspecting. Kagome sighed. They had to be unsuspecting. They had been powerful sorcerers and excellent fighters. They had given Kagome their same talents with magic and fighting but hadn't had time to properly train her. Now magic was considered a gift from the demons and to be associated with the neighboring species was to be outcast from the Human Realm so she could never improve her talents and find out what really happened to her parents.

Some people found it strange that she didn't hate the demons though they had murdered her parents. She usually just shrugged. The only ones to blame for her parents deaths were the ones who actually disemboweled them, not the entire demon race. The one thing that Kagome's parents had left behind was a sense of right or wrong and the wisdom to choose her enemies properly. It wouldn't be smart to assume that every demon was an enemy. Then they could never help her or become an ally. Besides, her parents had had many demon friends who had mourned her parents passing.

Kagome heard footsteps outside her door and grabbed a band for her hair, just in case. Kagome had a long mane of raven that glinted blue in the light. Her almond shaped eyes were dark brown with thick, dark lashes. Her skin was pale, but not unnaturally so, and her cheeks were always a pleasant rose. Her lips were neither plump nor thin but carried a bright and loving smile even if it was hard to find. She was of average height but had an athlete's body. She made sure that she was in top condition so that she couldn't be mistaken as weak. She knew she could run for three miles with barely a sweat and could run ten without a hitch in her stride. Some thought she was a bit obsessive with staying in shape, but she didn't care. If she needed to escape, she could and she could do so quickly. And if she needed to fight, she could even if she was a novice; her fist had some power to it.

She made sure she wasn't missing anything. She was wearing her favorite light brown pants that had ties crisscrossing up the sides. She also had on her dark green tunic with silver edging that she had bought last week. It hugged her agile body beautifully without looking too decadent despite the triangle shaped cuts that reached up to just below her pant line. She had a thin belt wrapped around her waist, hidden under her tunic, with a single pouch tied to it. The pouch had a long string on it so that it would hang comfortably lower in one of the cutouts of her shirt. It was usually used for a money purse but Kagome carried around random other things in it like herbs, string and even some flint. She might not be practiced in magic but she knew a few tricks and her necessities were kept there. Her money was in a flat pouch tied to a string that hung around her neck and tucked under her shirt. She had a thigh sheath around the outside of her right leg. The blade was made of fine silver and was the length of her forearm from hilt to tip. Kagome checked to make sure it slid easily from its sheath.

An irritated knock came at the door and Kagome quickly grabbed her cloak which was a green so dark that it almost looked black. She walked over to her door as she tied the cloak about her shoulders. She opened the door to an annoyed Akemi. She was wearing her favorite style of dress in a dark blue. It came down low with a bodice that barely contained her. The sleeves were tight from her shoulders to her elbow where they loosened and draped down. A black cape graced her shoulders and flowed down her straight back. She was wearing her favorite black knee high boots. They were flat soled that had lacings up the outside of the boot. It was made from good leather and made her look good. She had loved them so much she even bought a black pair for Nami and a dark brown pair for Kagome. Needless to say all girls nearly always wore those boots. Kagome stepped out of her room in said boots and closed her door behind her.

"Sorry I took so long, Akemi. I couldn't find my dagger." Akemi shook her head.

"Well if you stopped putting it under your pillow you wouldn't lose it." Kagome laughed. She was a very restless sleeper and tended to throw things about while she dreamed. She threw her dagger, sheath and all, almost every night. Needless to say, Kagome got a room to herself for fear of impalement of the other tenants. Kagome looked up at the taller girl with beseeching eyes.

"Are you suuuure I can't bring my real blades?" Kagome asked with big puppy dog eyes. Akemi shook her head as she laughed.

"The circus has a maximum blade length, and that dagger of yours is it. Besides, what do you need your spine blade and your katana for anyway?" Kagome shrugged as she pouted.

"I don't know. I like them." Akemi laughed at her again and slapped her on the back as they walked down the stairs of Haven House, "Anyway, we won't actually get to the circus until nightfall, why can't I have my blades until then?"

"Because we don't know if those blades of yours will be stolen when you give them to the weapon check," Akemi sighed, "And besides, they'll be suspicious of you and think you're going to go all homicidal on the demons." Kagome frowned.

"I would not, and why would they think that anyway?"

"Oh, just stop complaining already! They'll see your spine blade and wonder where else you've got them." Akemi lifted an eyebrow suggestively successfully making Kagome blush and shut up. They walked out of the giant, worn down building and walked outside to the courtyard. The grass was dead and the flowers wilted. It was fairly pathetic. Nami was sitting on the broken fountain in the middle of the courtyard looking extremely bored.

She was wearing her hair up in the usual droopy style. She was wearing the boots that Akemi had purchased for her along with a cape that was almost identical to Akemi's. The only difference was that Nami's cloak had a thick rope design gracing its edges. She wore a very tight shirt that was low cut, but higher than Akemi's. It was red with black edging and long sleeves that ended just above her hands. Her pants were black and tied in the front, but the tie was hidden beneath the bottom of her shirt. Kagome knew she would be wearing a black belt that was hidden beneath her tunic. In the back, Nami would have tied her money pouch to her belt in similar fashion to Kagome and her herb pouch. Kagome and Akemi reached Nami and saved her from her boredom.

"Thank _KAMI_. I was about to go mad!" Kagome giggled and Akemi shook her head. They knew it was most likely true. Nami wasn't exactly the most…stable of people, "So where we headed for now, Akemi?" Akemi shrugged and started walking out the gates. You may think it's strange to leave Haven House without telling a mother, but you have to remember that the mothers didn't care what the children did as long as it didn't reflect poorly upon the House so much so that they lost the government support that they received. They came and left as they pleased. And as long as the mothers weren't bothered by officials or anything it would stay that way.

"I figure we blow some time in the market, maybe buy some things, maybe lift some things." Akemi smiled wickedly. Her parents had been very wealthy merchants when they had been killed and had left her quite a bit of money. But that fact didn't stop her from stealing more than occasionally. Kagome frowned, she didn't like stealing, and Akemi knew it. She laughed at Kagome's look. "I'm only kidding Kagome. I won't steal around you," she shrugged, "Besides, you always look so guilty that it's near impossible to get away with it." Kagome pouted. She didn't like stealing, but she liked being made fun of even less.

"Jerk." Kagome muttered. Akemi laughed at her.

"Oh, you know it's true!" She turned away from the pouty girl and looked down the long road to civilization. It would take them about 20 minutes just to get to the town. Oh well. The sky boasted few clouds and a lot of sun. It would be a hot (but not unbearable) day and a warm night. Akemi couldn't wait for the darkness to come. She was always more comfortable when the sun was down. Most of those at Haven House felt the same. It was as if the light was too bright and loving, too full of hope, making the world so colorful and alive. The worst thing about the light was you couldn't hide. The darkness hid you and protected you. Other children were afraid of the dark, afraid of what monsters it held. What those children didn't realize was that those monsters were there in the light too.

Kagome punched Akemi in the arm softly bringing her out of her reverie and pointed to the cart coming towards them. It was a tinker by the name of Koji. He was very tall and extremely shy. He blushed whenever he talked to the girl's and could hardly say a whole sentence without stuttering unless he was talking about his inventions. Koji was brilliant. He could fix anything and could create even more. He had said once that the pieces that he saw just snapped together in his head. Usually he didn't know what it would do, he only knew that it was supposed to be put together. He would say that the parts asked him to be put together. They knew what they were supposed to be and wouldn't tell him until he had finished. Koji wiped his palms against his light brown tinkers' apron. His pants were the same color and his shirt was a washed out blue. His sleeves were rolled up when he waved at the girls.

A small blush had already tinged his tanned cheeks as he approached. Akemi leaned over Koji's cluttered cart and folded her arms under her chest giving him a very good view. Koji's face turned beet red as he looked away from Akemi.

"Koji, where have you been? We've missed you." Akemi cooed. Koji laughed nervously.

"Oh, you know. I've…ah…been around." Kagome leaned over his shoulder to look at his work area. His cart had several drawers and cabinets to keep his many pieces, parts and inventions. There were posts on the four corners that held up a water proof cover. There was a display cabinet in the center that had glass walls. In it were several things that he created as well as things he had fixed. Most of his gadgets were unusual and hard to understand but there were a few things that were easy to understand. Like the time piece he created out of leftovers or the rolling shoes to get you places quicker. He also made an automatic flipper for your stove. Most of the things he made were nonsensical and were more like toys than anything else. Like for one of the younger kids' birthday, Koji had made an acrobat that did flips and twists all at the press of a button.

Kagome had always been interested in this other kind of magic, but it never made much sense to her. There were so many different mechanical pieces that simply looked the same, and it was hard to grasp that their purpose could be almost anything. She admired Koji and his talents with technology. Right now there were a lot of different parts lying all over his enclosed work space. She couldn't make any sense of it. All she could really understand was that he had a blade that was about 6 inches and several strips of metal along with the usual springs and cogs.

"What are you making there, Koji?" Kagome asked as she poked at the pieces curiously. Koji's blush left him as he turned to his work, pride glittering in his eyes.

"That's the leftovers of my prototype weapon!" he explained. He opened a drawer and pulled out a six inch hilt, "Ok see this?" he held up the none too impressive silver piece, "Inside here is a 5 ¾ inch blade. All you have to do is squeeze here," he pointed to two identical raised squares at the bottom of the hilt on either side right before the cross guard. He squeezed the two triggers and suddenly the blade shot out of the hilt. Kagome's eyes widened.

"That's awesome!" He blushed a little bit at Kagome's praise, "How much power does it have?" she wondered. She stared at the blade with yearning.

"Let's just say that it could penetrate any part of the body even if it was right up against it." Kagome nearly clapped in delight.

"That's fantastic! You've out done yourself, Koji!" Kagome gave him a pat on the back. Akemi shook her head.

"Dearest Kagome. And you call _us_ sadists." Kagome laughed.

"I can't help it! I like weapons, what can I say?" Nami scrutinized the weapon.

"How do you make the blade come back in?" she asked. Koji smiled and lifted a finger. He pointed at the silver stone in the center of the hilt then pressed the stone. The blade snapped back into place with just a tiny bit less power than when it had shot out.

"You are magnificent, Koji!" Kagome cheered, "But why did you, of all people, make a weapon?" Koji was a gentle soul and though he did repair weapons he had never made one before. Koji blushed lightly.

"Actually, I made it with you in mind." He said. Kagome's face lit up as he turned the handle to her.

"I can have it?" she cried. He nodded.

"Yeah, let's just call it an early birthday present." Kagome cried out in joy and jumped on Koji giving him a back breaking hug.

"Hot damn you two!" Akemi laughed, "Get a room!" Koji's blush turned bright red as Kagome continued to crush him in her arms and say 'Thank you! Thank you!' over and over again. Nami shook her head and laughed at her friend. She looked to Akemi and they both began walking away.

"Come on, Kagome! We're going to miss all the good buys!" Kagome laughed then let go of Koji and ran to catch up with the others.

"Bye, guys!" Koji yelled. "Kagome! That blade will fit perfect in your boot!" Kagome turned with her rare to see smile that made everyone who saw it feel warm inside.

"Thanks, Koji!" she yelled back waving. She caught up to the girls who were still laughing. "And what's so funny, eh?" Akemi shook her head.

"Nothing, Kagome. It's just that you're the kind loving one and we're the pain inducing evil ones and yet we still don't share your fascination with weapons!" Kagome blushed a little.

"That's just because you like to torture not fight." Kagome teased. Akemi shrugged.

"True." Kagome gaped and punched her in the arm.

"That's not funny!" she cried. Nami laughed at them.

"We can't help it." Nami said matter-of-factly. She straightened her spine and shook back invisible hair, "Besides, it isn't our fault. It's society today!" She flung up her hands, "With all the demon slayings and the human slayings, what do expect an impressionable young mind would gather from the violence in today's world?" The all laughed. She sounded just like the mothers back at Haven House when they would have to defend their children after they had done something wrong. Kagome kept laughing until she saw a poster on one of the trees.

It was an advertisement for the Firae Circus. 'Dark Beast' is what it meant in the old tongue. Kagome shivered. The leader of the circus troupe had a strange glint in his eye. He had a long pale face and dark curly hair that lay messily upon his shoulders. His smile was thin as his gleeful face stared down at her. In the picture on the poster he was standing with one arm outstretched to the heavens, his other hand seemingly forcing down the beast before him. Kagome leaned forward to get a better look at the 'beast'. It seemed to be a man with white hair and ears coming from the top of his head. The man's eyes were filled with rage and had turned a bloody red. His fangs were bared and his claws were long and sharp. But with all his menacing features he was cowering away from the leader. Kagome looked back up to the man. 'If such an evil looking demon were cowering from this man, what kind of creature did that make him? What would a demon see in this' she looked at the bottom and read the leaders name, 'this, _Naraku_, that would make him so afraid that despite the power in his veins, he would submit?' Kagome looked at the evil smile Naraku wore and suddenly had a bad feeling about tonight.

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OOOoooo bet you didn't think Naraku was the bad guy huh? Yeah I know you knew it too. It wasn't that I was hiding it, I just didn't find the right place to put his name in. I hope this chapter is ok. It's double the size of the last one. Is it too much or still not long enough? Tell me what you think! And tell me what you think should happen! Maybe it might even come true! OOooooo. Yeah I know you're all awed and stuff.

Please Review! (How else will I know who's read it? They took the stat viewer away from me  You could just say, Hey I read it, that would make my day, surprisingly enough…)


	4. The Dog in the Demon

Blub blub blub and no ownage of inus

WARNING! Major blood and gore in this chapter! Not suitable for weak minds, er…stomachs.

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Chapter 4: The Dog in the Demon

Inuyasha stared out of his cage at the ruckus going on around him. Humans were scampering all over the place putting up tents and whatnot for the circus that night. He looked over at the snow demon cage which was still kept next to him. From what Inuyasha could see there were three other snow demons along with Yuki, two boys and a girl. The tallest boy seemed the weakest although he was the eldest. He kept twitching and looking about him sporadically. The next boy looked like a 10 year old human. He had a hard set to his eyes and a cold demeanor as he watched the movements of the humans around him studiously. 'That one would be the smart one, even if he would most likely act compulsively.' Inuyasha thought. The girl was tiny. She looked like a five year old human child with her short white hair pulled up into a high pony tail. She was playing with a ragged straw doll and seemed oblivious to the world around her. 'She was most likely born in these cages.' Inuyasha figured. And for the first time he felt pity for a demon.

Inuyasha turned his eyes as he caught the movement of Yuki's previously still form. She pushed herself up and moved to lean against the bars that were closest to Inuyasha without even looking at him.

"Kami, I hate mornings." She sighed. Inuyasha smirked.

"I know what you mean. Not only is the darkness more comforting than this light," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "But in dreams we are happy and free. Not like here." Yuki looked over at him.

"You've been treated badly a lot, huh?" Inuyasha looked at her.

"Do you even know what I am?" he wondered aloud. Yuki tilted her head.

"You're an inu-youkai." She stated. Inuyasha stared her down.

"I'm an inu-hanyou." He said. She lifted an eyebrow.

"And?" he looked at her confusedly.

"What do you mean 'And'?" she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter if you've got both sides in you. Hell, if we were all hanyou's then at least the lands wouldn't be separated into species. I think it's stupid that demons live on one side of the realm and humans live on the other. Both species are murderous bastards and yet they remain separated because they think other side is eviler than theirs." She sighed with frustration, "I mean look where we are! We've got a human drinking demon blood, capturing demons and putting them on display for the human masses. But don't you think for one minute that there isn't the exact same thing on the other side of the line. Both demons and humans alike are bastards." She finished with venom. Inuyasha just looked at her with wide eyes.

"Wow, and here I thought you were a goody-goody. Never thought there'd actually be poison under all that white." Yuki shrugged.

"I'm just tired of having to be split." She looked back at him again, "I'm a demon princess," she stated, "I know people tease me as being a princess because of how I look and act, but my parents were the king and queen of the snow realm on the demon side," she looked away, "unfortunately for me that means I have to marry whom my parents will. But I had already given my heart to another."

"A human." Inuyasha said. Yuki smiled sadly.

"He was a beautiful boy and was gifted in magic. Had we been able to become mates he would have lived as long as I and we would be able to love each other forever." Her face became sour, "but then my parents showed to me my future and I ran to the only one I've ever loved. In the end he was murdered because he tried to get me to go back to my kingdom claiming that it was right. My betrothed found us and slaughtered him before my eyes. And in turn I murdered my betrothed. Then I ran for the border knowing that I would be hunted in the demon realm." Her eyes shone with unshed tears, "I was asleep when he found me and placed the stone within my chest. When I awoke I would have killed him except that I found that he had other snow demons, children, which had been missing for quite some time. We thought they had been taken by demons but this human had snatched them. Now I cannot leave for they will be tortured, nor could I leave them behind."

"If you're a princess then you must have a lot of power, you could just kill the leader." Inuyasha suggested. Yuki shook her head.

"He had already thought of that. I have a corset tied about me. Woven in its threads are spells that if I use my powers to hurt him, threads about these children's necks would tighten until it cut clean through. I will not murder my people," she whispered. Inuyasha turned away from her. He didn't know what to say to that. He had never felt so loyal to someone that he wouldn't let them die in order to save his own skin. His mother had died before he could have remembered her and his father had abandoned him as soon as he could mostly fend for himself. The silence between them made Inuyasha fidget uncomfortably.

"What does he make you do in the circus?" he asked to break the silence.

"He makes me dance." She said. Inuyasha's raised his eyebrow.

"Dance?"

"Yeah. We, the snow demons, have special traditional dances to entrance our audience. We can control their emotions this way. Emotions like love, anger, fear, joy, that sort of thing. It's very effective at peace conferences." Inuyasha tilted his head like a curious puppy.

"How does that help Leader?" he asked. Yuki leaned back.

"It helps to make the audience addicted to the circus. Humans react differently to my dancing than demons. It causes them to do strange things. Every now and again some humans actually lose themselves and begins dancing with me. Naraku likes it because the ones who dance with me are often very powerful in magic and sometimes are even demons or hanyou's that can blend in with the humans."

"Why would he want to know about them?" Yuki shrugged.

"He has a thing for power. It gets him off. Other than that I don't know." They sat there for a while in silence watching the bustling around them. There were five main tents constructed around the site. Their placement made a large, crescent shape. In the center of the shape there were several vendors selling food, drinks and other merchandise. There was a cluster of six or so venders that boasted different carnival games that would give you stuffed beasts and toy demons if you won. Of course, Inuyasha knew that, with a man like Naraku managing, most of the games would be rigged.

The tents varied in size. The first two were very small, being able to hold only about two people at a time. The second two were of medium build, being able to hold about twenty people. But the final tent was absolutely enormous, it being able to hold over seventy-five people.

The signs on the small tents labeled one as a psychic's tent and the other a snake charmers tent. The snake charmer would have his tent opened wide so that passerby's could stand outside and see him work. The psychic would leave her tent closed unless there was no one getting their fortune read.

The medium tents held rare oddities that were kept in jars or in cages. A few of the oddities were able to sit behind a railing because they had proved their ability to remain docile. These two tents mostly held some of the stranger demons that the entire public wouldn't want to look at. The right tent held the less disturbing creatures while the left held ones that might make you feel ill.

The final tent was to hold the main attractions. The back of the large tent was connected to a smaller tent that would hold most of the performers. They would wait back there until their time, then they would walk out underneath an elaborate archway that proclaimed Firae Circus and out into a large circle. The circle was surrounded by bleachers that rose up fifteen rows that stretched halfway on the left side to halfway on the right side of the circle. The rest of the space would hold caged demons. It unnerved the people to always have them there and also leader liked to make them watch their fellows humiliate themselves. Speaking of the leader, Naraku was heading straight for them eyeing Inuyasha hungrily. The hair on Inuyasha's hair stood on end as a low growl began thundering in his throat.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You shouldn't be growling at your master, pup. He might forget to feed you." This made Inuyasha growl louder and tighten his body like a spring making his bracelets bite into his flesh. Naraku smiled at him then looked at Hatsuyuki, "Yuki, you will be the closing act tonight in the main tent. I want you to do the _Blizzards of Eden_ dance." Yuki's eyes went wide.

"B…but that dance is-"

"Yes, your strongest, I know. There's a strangeness to this place, I want to see how many people stand tonight." Yuki lowered her eyes and nodded her agreement. Naraku looked back at Inuyasha. "You will be placed in the creatures tent for most of the night," he smiled wickedly, "Some men will be coming to take you to your spot. If you give them trouble, I will be forced to hurt you." The look in his eye betrayed his desire to hurt Inuyasha, "When the main attractions begin, your cage will be brought inside with the others. You can enjoy your first dance tonight." He looked at Inuyasha's wrists that were bleeding profusely from him clenching his fists, "I'd be careful of those. Looks like I'll have to have someone scrub down your cell, wouldn't want all that impure blood to stain my cages." Naraku smiled again at Inuyasha who was glaring at him then gave Yuki a lingering stare making Yuki shudder. After he had left them Yuki shook her head.

"I really hate that man." Inuyasha nodded. Inuyasha relaxed and began licking the free falling blood from his wrists.

"Which creature's tent did he mean?" Inuyasha wondered. Yuki looked at him sadly.

"I believe he meant the left one. Be brave, Inuyasha, and don't let them make you into an animal. They do their best to destroy what little civility we have." Inuyasha snorted.

"They won't get to me," he said arrogantly.

"I hope so," she whispered as six men came over to Inuyasha's cage. The largest of the men brought out a key and unlocked his cage. A wicked gleam entered Inuyasha's eyes as they opened the door. Two men stepped into the cage while the other four remained outside. The first two grabbed him roughly by the arms and lifted him to his feet. He walked with them civilly with head bowed and his bangs in his eyes. He knew it would make him look weak, but it also helped to hide the cruel joy that he knew would shine in his golden eyes. When his foot finally hit ground a wicked smile caressed his face. The other four were about to put some sort of poles with shackles attached to them around his arms. He let them get close enough until the shackles almost locked together. Then he threw his weight against the guards to the left dragging the ones holding him on his right. Three of them fell to the ground while the others were sneering at him. They had taken out black sticks that had been strapped behind them. Inuyasha smirked.

He moved quickly despite his spikes and fake lunged for the ones who were standing. They swung at him but he was already at the fallen few. He made quick work of them ensuring that, if they ever got up again, it wouldn't be for a long time. He felt something coming closer and stepped aside just in time as a black stick whipped past his shoulder. He didn't know what those sticks would do, and he didn't want to find out. The last three eyed him menacingly. They hated him, he realized, they weren't simply afraid as most people he fought were. These men actually hated _him_.

It wasn't _that_ unusual a concept, but usually it was fear that drove the violence against him. There were the few that hated demons with such unbridled passion that they would attempt to kill anything that resembled a demon. And it was just Inuyasha's luck that he was born with dog ears atop his head.

The man on the right swiped forward but Inuyasha was able to easily step aside. His ankle bracelets were starting to hurt, but he couldn't stop. He stepped towards one of the men and hit him in the back of his head using his wrist spikes. There was a satisfying crunching and an even better grating sound as he wrenched the spike out again. Blood and brains were thrown in the air collecting in Inuyasha's hair and splashing on the other two men. Inuyasha felt a kind of glee at seeing the hole in the man's skull and turned to look at the other men. Fear had overcome their hatred.

_Aah, that's better._

Inuyasha stepped forward. He knew he must look disturbing with blood oozing down his wrists and ankles and another mans blood and brains in his hair and on his face. One man looked between his dead comrade and the demon before him in terror. Inuyasha sniffed and knew that the man had wet himself. The man raised his stick shakily in front of him trying to fend off the slowly approaching demon. Inuyasha just grinned, then darted forward and impaled him all the way through with his fist. Inuyasha chuckled then sliced his claws sideways freeing his arm from the man's torso cutting him in half. Blood bubbled up from the mans' throat as his eyes, staring at Inuyasha with horror, glazed over. Inuyasha cracked his fingers then turned to the last man. It was the large one that had opened his cage. He no longer looked afraid, but he did look royally pissed.

"Those were my friends," he snarled. Inuyasha smiled.

"Were being the key word?" The man narrowed his eyes.

"Even if I die, you will not escape this place. That cursed stone in your neck won't allow you to." He had forgotten about the stone. He knew is eyes had betrayed him when the man laughed, "You probably don't even want to escape! You just want to die. Well I can't grant your wish, hanyou. It's against the masters orders." The man lunged with his last words, leading with his weapon. It shined oddly in the light and Inuyasha realized it would be similar to the snakes in his cage.

Knowing what it was, made it easier for him to avoid it at all costs. This last one was stronger than the other ones and faster as well despite his size. He was a good fighter too, never letting Inuyasha get a clean opportunity to attack without leaving himself open for the black rod.

Inuyasha began to get angry and felt that wickedness from before fill him. He growled then jumped far away from the man, ignoring the tearing of his flesh from the spikes. He crouched down feeling a kind of wildness fill him. He could see the oncoming man with unusual clarity, the sweat that fell from his brow, the tightness of his arm and leg muscles. The man was getting tired and he was stressing out his body. He was right handed but when the club was in both hands it would have more accuracy, though in the left hand it would have weaker accuracy. By the tension in his hands Inuyasha knew that, being such a trained fighter and despite the weakness in his left side, Inuyasha would still be hurt if he attacked there. Then he saw it, there was a strange twinge in his right leg. Inuyasha smiled and looked at the man. The analysis had taken less than a few seconds.

He sped toward the man with lightning fast speed. He didn't even question his sudden ability to move faster than normal. He crouched down like the inu-youkai he was and latched the man's right knee in his mouth. He bit his fangs down and yanked taking the man's leg with him. He barely registered the unholy cries that erupted behind him as he bounded away on all fours. He crouched down ten feet from the wounded man and began gnawing on the leg he had stolen. He didn't move when the screams turned to whimpers or when the whimpers suddenly stopped with a slight cracking noise. He did move when a low chuckling reached his twitching ears.

He looked up and saw the tall man with pale skin and wavy black hair. His violet eyes laughed menacingly at him. He knew he wanted to kill this man but couldn't exactly remember why. It didn't really matter though, killing was enjoyable. He began growling forgetting the leg he had treated himself to. He crouched down and began circling the man on all fours. The man simply looked at him with amusement. This infuriated Inuyasha. He should be cowering, not laughing. Inuyasha tensed then lunged at the tall man. The man grinned wider then said.

"Sit." Inuyasha suddenly found himself in a lot of pain with his face in the dirt. He blinked a few times trying to come back to himself. He had a strange, but good, taste in his mouth. He licked his lips and realized it was blood. He gagged a little at the thought that he had enjoyed it as his memories of the last few minutes of the battle overcame him. He had lost himself to the dog within him again. He looked up from the ground at Naraku and sneered at his joyful face.

"You are awfully vicious, Inuyasha!" he laughed, "I'm glad that you'll fit perfectly in the set up I made for you! Especially with all that blood all over you mouth and hair. And what is that? Brains! Haha! Inuyasha, you dog!" Inuyasha growled at him and began lifting himself up from the ground. Naraku wagged a finger at him, "Tsk, tsk. What did I say about growling at your master?" He shook his head, "I'll hurt you later tonight for it, but for now, Sleep."

When Inuyasha awoke he was inside one of the tents. He stayed lying down as he assessed the damage. His body hurt everywhere but his ankles were the worst. If he wasn't careful he would hurt himself so bad that the healing would be all sorts of fucked up and he'd never be able to walk right again. It was true that his wrists and ankles hurt immensely, but they didn't hurt as much as they should have. He looked at his ankles and realized his spike bracelets had been replaced with smooth plated shackles made of the same black metal as the clubs the men had. _So they're letting me heal._ He thought, _Or they're upping the degree of pain my chains can inflict_. He noticed the thick chains that snaked from his shackles to the ground. He crawled over to where the chain went into the ground and inspected it. It seemed to just melt into the ground. He grabbed onto it and tugged as hard as he could. The ground didn't even lift a little bit, not a single speck of dirt even rolled in reaction to Inuyasha's strain. Eventually Inuyasha just gave up and sat down grumpily. _This is definitely not going to be fun._


	5. A New Kind

Sorry this took so long. Writers block! ACK! Diddly do dod o!

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Chapter 5: A New Kind

Kagome and her friends finally arrived at the circus as the sun was setting. With difficulty they gave the weapon check person all of their blades. Kagome had threatened the poor girl with dismemberment and other tortures if a single speck of dust came in contact with her blades. Akemi and Nami managed to drag her away before she just went straight to the torture just because they took her weapons from her. They calmed her down by reminding her that the blade that Koji just gave her was still hidden in her boot.

There were lots of weird smells and sounds emanating from all around the site. Kagome kept getting an unsettling feeling in her stomach when some of the sounds reached her ears. Akemi and Nami both ran straight to the medium's tent to get their fortunes told.

"Come on, Kagome!" Nami yelled behind her. Kagome shook her head and followed them to the tent's entrance.

"I'm not going in there you guys." Akemi looked back at her with her hands on her hips.

"And why not? You chicken shit?" Kagome snorted.

"No, I just don't like messing with fate. Anyway I'd rather not know if I'm going to die tomorrow. I like surprises." Akemi shook her head in shame.

"You're weird, it's not like it's real. It's just something fun to do!"

"You shouldn't play with fate. You don't know the rules." Akemi and Nami looked at each other then back at Kagome.

"You are an odd one aren't you?" Nami asked. Kagome shrugged.

"It's better than being normal."

"Whatever, where will you be when we get done?" Kagome pointed over at the snake charmer.

"I'll just go watch that guy get bit in the face by a cobra. Should be entertaining enough." Nami and Akemi laughed at her then entered the medium's tent. Kagome turned and crossed over to the charmer. There were a lot of people at the circus already and the crowds made her a little uncomfortable. She was glad to see that there were fewer people in front of the charmer. She stood in front of him and watched him play his pipe. He skin was dark and yet his eyes were a light green. His hair was hidden beneath a bandana that was the color of sand. His shirt hung loose and was tied around his waist by a brown scarf. His pants hung wide around his knees but were tight around his waist and ankles. He stared at Kagome with his strange eyes. She stared back with a bored expression. He grinned mischievously at her as his notes quickened. She raised an eyebrow as the snake began swaying into the air.

She saw a glint in his eye before he closed them and played an intricate melody that skipped quickly across the snakes' scales. The snake began to writhe and twist erratically as the music beat against it. Kagome tried to bite back a grin failing miserably as she saw what was to come of the charmers pretentiousness. His graceful fingers danced across the pipe unknowingly driving the snake mad. Kagome barked out a laugh when the snake snapped still then lunged at the charmer. The snakes' fangs embedded themselves into the charmers flesh making his eyes pop wide open and his mouth open in a silent scream. He looked down at the snake attached to his cheek then finally found his voice. He leapt to his feet and began running around in circles screaming. Kagome shook her head and laughed at the man's pain.

When her laughter lightened she stopped his panicked movements by placing her hand on his shoulder. He whimpered when she lifted her hand to the snake. She looked him in the eye giving him a 'stay still if you know what's good for you' look then carefully grabbed the snakes head with her fingers. She gently pushed the sides of its head in and carefully maneuvered the snakes' fangs out of the man's flesh. She picked the three foot long snake body up with her other hand so its weight wouldn't cause her hold to hurt it. She studied the man's face for a minute and then nodded.

"You're lucky. This one didn't inject its venom into you." The man's eyes widened.

"Lucky!" he cried pointing to his face, "You call _this_ lucky! She bit me! The fuckin' bitch bit me!" Kagome shook her head.

"Well if you hadn't pissed her off with the quick movements of your hands it wouldn't have happened."

"What do you mean?" he asked. Kagome gave him that 'are you really so stupid' look. When he just stared back she shook her head.

"Snakes are deaf, idiot. They don't dance to your music but rather your movements. And I'm surprised you're even using an Egyptian Cobra at night. That's when they hunt. They're more likely to bite at night." The charmer merely gave her a small 'huh' and she shook her head again.

"You just decided to do this one day, didn't you? You didn't even have a teacher." It wasn't a question. At least he had the grace to look embarrassed. Kagome just sighed. "I wouldn't continue this vocation without proper training. You might not be so lucky next time." He frowned.

"There's nothing else for me. I have to do this or...well. I just have to be the charmer." Kagome gave him a curious stare.

"Whatever. It's your skin." She took the snake that was still lying dormant in her hands to the basket which it had risen from. She laid it down carefully and placed the cap back on the basket. The snake had not once made a hostile motion toward her. She walked away from the charmer with the swollen face and sent a casual wave over her shoulder as she crossed the grounds to the mediums tent. She couldn't wait to tell her friends that her wish to see the man bitten had come true.

Akemi and Nami still hadn't reemerged from the mediums tent. Kagome sat down on a sawed off trunk that was next to the tent and waited for them. She knew they wouldn't be happy with her if she went to the other tents without them. She let her cloak settle around her and the stump and leaned her elbows against her knees. She put her chin in one hand while she watched some people try their hand at the games. She laughed at the ones who were suckered into a rigged game and smiled at the ones that defeated the tricksters. One of the people who worked the games noticed her and tried to wave her over. She smiled and shook her head trying to tell him with her eyes that she wasn't _that_ foolish.

There was a lot of laughter and happy squeals coming from all around her. The conversations were loud but not obnoxiously so. She shuddered and turned her head when she heard a venomous howl coming from deeper in the circus. Gasps of fear and wonder followed the howl. Then there was laughter. The laughter made Kagome's skin crawl more than the howl had. They were laughing at some poor creature, probably torturing a demon of some sort, taking pleasure in its pain.

Kagome turned when she heard the movement of fabric. Nami and Akemi stepped out of the tent. Kagome smiled at them expecting to see laughing faces. Instead she saw disturbed and angry faces.

"What's wrong?" she asked instantly, standing on her feet her hand going to where her weapons should be. Nami shook her head.

"It's nothing, Kagome." She looked at Akemi worriedly. Her face was stricken with fury.

"Do I need to go in there and kill that old hag?" Akemi looked at Kagome and for a second she thought she saw sorrow flash in Akemi's eyes but it was gone as quick as it came and she wondered if she had dreamt it.

"Forget it, Kagome," She shook her anger away and let a seductive smile cross her face, "Come on, ladies, I think it's time we looked at some of the tents that seem to have dirty auras around them." Akemi laughed evilly and began making her way to the tents farther up where the terrorized howl had come from.

They were about to head into one of the tents that boasted odd and disturbing jarred things when another howl pierced the air. Akemi's eyes glinted with mischief while Nami and Kagome looked startled. Akemi smiled and dragged the other girls with her to where the pained animal was shrieking. They expected to see some beast or another when they entered the brightly lit tent. What they saw was several beastlike and humanlike demons chained in various ways on separate sides of the tent creating a circular pathway to follow. The demons were disturbing as they looked at them with hatred, sorrow, and broken spirits.

At the bend in the pathway they were met with a crowd of people where some were laughing cheerfully and others had looks of fear dancing across their faces. Akemi shoved her way through the crowd to get a good look at the howling creature that they were surrounding while the other two girls followed in her wake. What they saw surprised them.

There was a large penned area that had a trough on the outside of the fence. In the trough were several different kinds of vegetables and other rotten foods. The crowd was taking turns pelting the exhibits animal with the grotesque smelling provisions. Also along the bottom of the trough and all along the ground were rocks that people were picking up and pelting the creature with. Kagome gasped as she saw the demon who was being tortured by these people.

He was magnificent. He was more human than any demon she had ever lay witness to with her own eyes. The only truly noticeable part about him were the (dare she say cute?) white ears on top of his head. His eyes were a fiery gold with red creeping into the gold like angry blood. His fangs were barred as he struggled with his shackles that chained him in the pen. His silver hair shone with blinding vengeance as he thrashed about trying to break his pinioned arms and take his retribution from these pitiful humans that tormented him. Purple stripes were tearing their way across his cheeks and his pupil was melting into a celtic blue. His aura was angry and pulsing. She wondered how these people did not run in terror and awe of the beautiful fury before them.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as someone picked up a rock and whipped it at the demon. It struck him just beside his almost completely crimson gaze. His skin split and he bled and the crowd cheered the one who aimed so well. Kagome saw that Akemi and Nami had small smiles tugging at their lips, and her easily granted anger overwhelmed her.

She snarled and growled in similar fashion to the beast before her. She shoved the people in front of her out of the way and leapt over the fence and into the pen without a second thought. People gasped in fear for her but she ignored them and looked up at the demon. He had several cuts that she hadn't noticed from her position in the crowd. The last slash was bleeding freely dripping into his eye.

He was looking down at her with such venom that a part of her wondered how she didn't liquefy from that one look. He strained his muscles trying to reach her to tear her apart, but she stood just maddeningly out of reach. Someone from the crowd threw another vegetable at the demon striking him on the shoulder. He watched as her eyes flicked to the offending splatter against his pale shirt. Her dark eyes brightened as a honey color flamed from the center of her pupil outward. He heard her snarl as she turned her back on him. She crossed her arms in an X in front of her then swiped her hands downward and to the side.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, "You will now leave him be."

"Get out of the way girl!" said the man who had pelted the demon with the stone, "You're ruining our fun. If you don't move we'll continue even if you're in the way." Someone laughed and Kagome saw that it was Akemi. Kagome turned her attention back to the man as she saw him pick another rock from the trough, "Out of the way, girl." A cold grin spread across her face.

"You can try, you pathetic piece of shit. But as long as I stay here, he will not be abused." The man frowned at her.

"Teach that girl a lesson," someone in the crowd said. The man shrugged then whipped the stone at her with all of his might. Kagome smiled as the stone came at her and laughed as it froze in mid air three inches from her face. She looked at it and watched it drop to the floor of the tent. She looked up at the rest of the group through her barrier, laughter and mischief dancing in her honey streaked eyes.

"Anyone else?" she asked. The crowd looked at her with shock and horror.

"What are you?" someone called.

"Demon!" came another. Kagome laughed at them.

"I am a priestess, you ridiculous bastards. I am a High Miko of this city, and as such I declare that this sort of abuse shall be ceased immediately." The crowd gasped and grumbled. Some glared at her with hate as they slowly departed. She watched them cautiously until they were all gone except for her two sisters. She took a deep breath in and dropped her shield.

"Kagome, come on, you've proven your point oh great and wise high miko!" Akemi laughed. Kagome just smiled at her and shook her head.

"Your just jealous that Lady Kaede chose me as her apprentice," Akemi shrugged as Kagome shook her head, "Just remember to remind me to get some new earth stones. I think I used all mine on that barrier," Akemi laughed. Kagome was always running through her magical aids that she kept in her money pouch. Without those stones she would never have been able to create such a powerful barrier with the weak magical training that she had. She turned back to the demon behind her.

"I'm sorry they treat you badly. I wish there was something I could do. I'd like to free you, but then I'd have to free them all, and you're the only one with an aura that is not tainted by evil." She stared into those angry red and gold eyes and felt a strange want. She reached her hand into the pouch on her belt and then brought her herb-touched fingers to his head. She took a deep, shuddering breath as she gently caressed the skin under the wound by his eye with her fingertips. Heat radiated from them as the bleeding stopped and the wound began to close. The other scratches he had sustained shrank and vanished completely. She could feel that he had older, deeper physical wounds and gave him more of her energy to help him heal. The wounds on his wrists and ankles stitched together and closed completely.

When she looked back into his eyes she saw nothing but an astonished gold. She smiled him a tired comforting smile that actually reached her eyes. They both turned when they heard someone clearing their throat, and saw the leader of the circus, Naraku. The demon beside her growled low and menacingly as his eyes again bled crimson. She ignored him and walked to Naraku.

"What are you doing in that pen, milady?" he asked with an almost pleasant voice, "You could be hurt by that crazed beast and there's nothing we could do for you." He seemed a bit happy about that. She frowned at him and pointed towards the man behind her.

"How could you let people treat him that way?" He looked at her with mock surprise.

"Like what, milady?" she snarled and the honey flamed again.

"While you are touring in this area you will refrain from treating your captives in an abusive manner such as the vulgar display you had going on with this man here."

"He isn't a man, madam." He said with a touch of confusion, "He isn't even a demon; he's a half-demon." Kagome raised a graceful eyebrow.

"And that matters how?" she sighed, "Look, I don't like what you're doing here. Demons shouldn't be treated like animals, but I can't change the customs and traditions that we live by, but I can tell you to treat your…_animals_ better." Naraku smiled warmly.

"I will try my best, Miko. And I ask you to forgive this transgression." Kagome sighed.

"I will not make an official report on it, but if I find you have done this again, you will be shut down." Naraku nodded in agreement with his eyes closed. His anger was burning through them and he knew she would see. She seemed satisfied and turned her back to him walking back to her friends.

"I want this one to be free of harassment for the rest of the night. Do not taint him, Naraku," Naraku looked up at her and saw she was gazing up at his long sought after prize, "He is new." She whispered, "Not yet tainted by the abuses of this life. His life has been hard, but he has still retained some innocence." She turned to Naraku with carefully blank eyes, "He will be ruined by you." She turned away and left them both as she and her friends abandoned the tent. Inuyasha looked at Naraku. He was afraid of the retribution he would get for that humans impudence. He was surprised to see that Naraku had a calm almost pleasant look upon his face as he stared after the girls.

"She's beautiful, don't you think?" Naraku whispered to himself. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as Naraku looked at him with a creepy smile and a hungry look in his eye, "You've found me a perfect specimen, Inuyasha. I'll do as she says. You can go into your cage and I'll let you keep the shackles you have now instead of the spike bracelets." Naraku almost skipped his way out of the tent as men came and took Inuyasha away to his cage. Naraku turned right before he left with a twinkle in his eye.

"Your snow princess will be performing soon in the main tent. You'll be taken there. A front row seat to my favorite part of the entire night, and tonight promises to hold a few extra treats!" he giggled like a little school girl then left the men to deal with Inuyasha.


End file.
